Fantasy Age VS Ageplay

[Duath Velde]

Okay, now, i've tried to find a singular statement on what ageplay exactly is and how it is restricted in Second Life.

From what I understand, no sexual acts are allowed, period, with child characters. However, my question is how this effects avatars that are far older, but still appear young. For example, Elves, Certain Anthromorphs, Dwarfism, etc. where the character may appear to be under 18, but is actually well over let's say 60 for this example.

What are the rules on -this-? I ask because I do not want to be in proximity of something considered 'illegal' by Linden, even if it is legal in the USA.

[Unklebob Hotaling]

Hope this helps, pay special attention to the 'does not necessarily...'  It would seem irregardless of everything, even with faeries who aren't child av's your treading on thin ice, always suspect as your open to other peoples interpretation of whats going on.  I'd imagine one participating in such things should always be ready to defend themselves against age-play ARs.

What is a Child avatar?

Quite simply, a child avatar is any avatar that attempts to present as a youth.  This is not limited to humans, and can include furries (referred to in this instance as "cubs" or "babyfur"), neko, vampires, and other avatar selections.  Some doll avatars might also fit in this category.

This does not necessarily include fairies (which may be child-like in appearance, as well as smaller than the average avatar), tinies (although human baby-shaped tinies do exist), or those wearing gothic lolita and/or cosplay fashions and styles.

Why play a child in Second Life?

There are a great many reasons to play a child within Second Life, and it is plenty likely that every person playing a child might have their own reasons. Here are six.

1. A way to recapture some of the spirit of youth. Much like the old Twilight Zone episode, "Kick The Can," it allows one to 'be' a child, and run and jump, and play unencumbered with the responsibilities of adulthood.

2. "Re-imagining" bad childhoods. Many SL kids have faced childhoods filled with illness or disability. Many (by no means all) were victims of sexual or other abuses as a child, and this is allowing them to "rewrite" some of those childhood experiences with much healthier ones.

3. Related to the above, many may also want to have childhoods they could not, with all the toys and goodies they may have been denied for some reason. Always wanted that Easy Bake Oven? Go buy or make it in SL. Want the big swingset, or a pony, or whatever? All yours for a few pennies.

4. For fun. It can be a fun type of character to play, allowing for a childlike innocence and whimsey to come to the forefront, and providing for many opportunities to be "silly" that might not otherwise feel comfortable in an adult avatar.

5. A few may feel more comfortable in the role of a child, for whatever reason. While some of these might fall under various "philia" subsets (adult babies, for example), not all do.

6. Some may simply enjoy the roleplaying challenge of playing a kid, which isn't always as easy as one might think.

What are Linden Lab's policies towards Child Avatars

Stuff to do: This section was compiled by Residents and NEEDS to cite specific sources to substantiate Linden Lab's stance and avoid confusion. Knowledge Base articles or secondlife.com legal documents are required; "I heard it from a friend" or "I got it on a notecard" are NOT acceptable. Otherwise, DO NOT consider the below to be accurate, official policy. -Torley

Policies towards child avatars are largely focused on the actions of the avatars, not the avatars themselves.

Child avatars are allowed within Second Life. A child avatar, even within a mature or adult region (but not participating in adult (in this case, sexual) activities is allowed. A child avatar is allowed do everything any other avatar is, with the following exceptions

• Child avatars in sexual situations (sexual congress obviously, though it is unclear beyond this) are not allowed and abuse reportable (ARable).

• Public promotion (classified listing, profile, etc.) of sexual situations with child avatars is not allowed and ARable.

• Creating areas for the purpose of sexual ageplay is not allowed and is ARable. This includes having items with sexual content (sexual poseballs or equipment) in proximity to items traditionally associated with children (swingsets, etc.)

• Indicating that the *real age* of a child avatar (as opposed to a stated SL/role playing age) is below main grid age is not allowed and ARable.

• Child avatar nudity has been called into question as well. While no language specific to nudity was included in the initial policies, child avatar nudity of the genital or chest regions, including in otherwise non-sexual situations (skin vendors, for example) can be a violation. This also applies to parcel descriptions: nudity or "clothing optional" language can not be included in a parcel description on a kid-specific area.

Note that child avatars are allowed on PG, Mature, and even Adult public parcels, provided with the latter that they are adult verified. Note that this does not necessarily apply to private parcels where one has the option to eject or ban as desired. The allowance of child avatars on adult rated land such as Zindra does not invalidate any of the above rules.

As with all things, context is key, and err on the side of caution.

Related Links

While nothing specific is listed in the Terms of Service or Community Standards, child avatars have been discussed three times on the Second Life blog, each time refining policies towards child avatars.

• Accusations Regarding Child Pornography in Second Life
• Keeping Second Life Safe, Together
• Clarification of Policy Disallowing “Ageplay”
• Zindra: An Update (explains policy on child avatars on the "adult continent" of Zindra.)

A further statement from Lewis PR Linden on the Second Life Insider site gave further insight.

• Linden Lab responds to Wonderland scandal

Of note from the above: There's nothing objectionable nor illegal in having a child-like avatar in itself and we must assume innocence until proof of the contrary.

[Morgan Underwood]

Duath.Velde wrote:

 

Okay, now, i've tried to find a singular statement on what ageplay exactly is and how it is restricted in Second Life.

From what I understand, no sexual acts are allowed, period, with child characters. However, my question is how this effects avatars that are far older, but still appear young. For example, Elves, Certain Anthromorphs, Dwarfism, etc. where the character may appear to be under 18, but is actually well over let's say 60 for this example.

 

What are the rules on -this-? I ask because I do not want to be in proximity of something considered 'illegal' by Linden, even if it is legal in the USA.

 

You're not only having to run this past the TOS for clarity, but you're also getting into roleplay standards and practices which we all know vary widely from community to community.

For instance, while in a certain roleplay community I can say I'm a 900-year old vampire, but I was turned when I was actually 10 years old and that's why  I appear so young... that's all fine and dandy, you can play as a child-looking 900-year old vampire, no argument there. BUT if you engage in anything that violates the TOS regarding 'child avatars' you are on your own if someone reports you- saying you're just roleplaying and giving an extensive history of your RP avatar isn't going to save you a bit.

Just being 'around' a child avatar isn't in and of itself a violation in any sense of the word- it's what you do around that avatar that is the issue. It's clear you want to steer away from them to avoid any potential conflicts and that's a solid policy. If you DO find yourself i nclose proximity t oone or more, though, just mind your own business and play nice with them. If they start to get out of hand, you are perfectly welcome to excuse yourself from their little game and if it's bad enough you're perfectly welcome to report them, and should if it's that bad.

Just remember: ROLEPLAY STORIES DO NOT COUNT- if it's a child avi engaging in bad stuff, that's all LL is going to look at, period.

[lovee Foehammer]

Considering that Unk's first reply answered the question, We can expect to see this thread locked soon.  And given the long defense of evil it contains, I am suggesting that Lexie, our omnipotent (and usually very wise) moderator look at it.

[Unklebob Hotaling]

"Considering that Unk's first reply answered the question, We can expect to see this thread locked soon"

What's truely unfortunate is I always try to be supportive of child avs, i don't buy into the hysteria that they are all pedo's or just cause your a child av you are a twisted individual.  I'm sympathetic to the oft-heard "i'm a child av because i had problem in my childhood and i'm just trying to relive it better, work my way past previous issues"... and to that, this pro child avs, pro-ageplay post does so much harm in any attempt to calm the child av issue.  Might as well just shoot yourself in the foot for any good that reply did for advocating child avs.

People shou;d really think about what they say sometimes.

[lovee Foehammer]

Unk, my dear friend, you are too kind-hearted.

Might as well just shoot yourself in the foot for any good that reply did for advocating child avs.

That reply was not advocating child avs

That vile and disturbing reply defended the sexual use and sexual exploitation of children.

That is not relevant to the child av issue, because the perpetrator of that reply was overtly defending the sexual exploitation of children.

[Usagi Dagger]

Given this gray area of what is "mature" and "legal" or "Illegal" or "Imoral" this is not going to be settled. but if I may.

 

1) Pornography is always considered a VISUAL Media: print, photos, drawings, etc

2) Most places count Child Porn/Pornography as illegal, even Japan has anti-childporn laws despite the drawn lolita art. (lets not get into this)

3) Depictions of violence such as movies, drawings, etc is not illegal.  Photos of RL Violence is (most likely) illegal if not used in news/education/etc.

4) Depictions of Beastiality is subject to local laws but most do not count drawn or animated depictions to be the same as physial acts.

5) There are always victims of crimes, ALWAYS.  but there are common sense levels (example: Theft is a less victimizing crime than Rape. Jury's still out on if Murder is worse than Rape)

6) Ageplay itself means Roleplaying an age you are not. Roleplaying should never be considered Illegal as long as both are consenting adults (local laws apply for real life, 18+ for SL) behind closed doors.

7) Linden Labs does have a closed bedroom door policy, most reports of sexual ageplay is because of people RPing it where people can see/hear it.  They do not send spies out to check on the millions of residents constantly.  They only go by residents reporting it before they check the logs.

If I'm mistaken please note by using the number and expain in a civil manner why I'm mistaken.

[Lexie Linden]

Question answered, thread locked.  No off subject posting or personal attacks. Some responses have been removed from this thread to comply with the posting guidelines for this area.  A debate or longer discussion on a topic is better suited for the Second Life Forums.  This area is for basic Q&A style threads only.  Thank you.

[OthirMan]

I see that this thread was locked 14 years ago.... but I can't make out the "final answer".

----------

I had a friend who was banned for ***** ..... but has no memory of any ***** whatsoever.

She, however, did play as a Tiny (I don't).

This is where I get confused.

(1) Why are minors allowed in the Adult-rated regions at all?

(2) Are Tinies considered "child avatars"?  Should Tinies be banned from the Adult-rated regions?

[Rowan Amore]

23 minutes ago, OthirMan said:

I see that this thread was locked 14 years ago.... but I can't make out the "final answer".

----------

I had a friend who was banned for ***** ..... but has no memory of any ***** whatsoever.

She, however, did play as a Tiny (I don't).

This is where I get confused.

(1) Why are minors allowed in the Adult-rated regions at all?

(2) Are Tinies considered "child avatars"?  Should Tinies be banned from the Adult-rated regions?

Was she just banned from a region or from Second Life?  Region owners can ban you for whatever reason they choose or no reason at all.  

Actual RL minors are only allowed on General regions.  Childlike avatars are allowed anywhere as long as they are not in proximity to sexual/sexualized content.

 

[Persephone Emerald]

32 minutes ago, OthirMan said:

(1) Why are minors allowed in the Adult-rated regions at all?

(2) Are Tinies considered "child avatars"?  Should Tinies be banned from the Adult-rated regions?

1. A region owner might have a roleplay sim, and not having children in the sim might seem unrealistic. They will likely have rules about where child avatars can be. For instance, I was in a ancient world rp sim that had both Moderate and Adult regions. The public bath and house of prostitution were on Adult regions. Child avatars were not allowed in either of these places, but if someone had a home or shop in an Adult region, a child avatar would be ok there.

2. Tinies, Dinkies and Petites are usually not child avatars, nor are they considered to be child avatars.